NASA’s James Webb Telescope Captures Stunning ‘Bejeweled’ Einstein Ring Around Distant Quasar – Details
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently captured a remarkable image showing the Einstein Ring, a bright ring formed by gravitational lensing around the quasar RX J1131-1231, located 6 billion light-years away in the constellation Crater.
Gravitational lensing phenomenon
Gravitational lenswhere light is bent by the curvature of spacetime caused by massive objects, creating this distinct ring effect, as Live Science reported. Quasar RX J1131-1231, a supermassive black hole at the center of a young galaxy, emits jets of energy while being lensed by a neighboring galaxy, visible as a central blue dot inside the ring. This lensing effect not only magnifies the quasar’s view but also doubles its light, creating four bright spots, which the European Space Agency (ESA) described as mirror images originating from a single source due to gravitational lensing.
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Scientific significance of Einstein rings
Einstein Circle, illustrated in the latest JWST take overplays a key role in astronomical studies, providing an expanded view of distant entities that are otherwise obscure. The lensing effect allows for detailed examination, helping scientists understand the properties and behavior of celestial objects, including calculating the mass of lensed galaxies and estimating dark matter. Dark matter, a mysterious substance that affects gravity without interacting with light, remains a central topic in modern astrophysics.
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Albert Einstein’s 1915 theory of general relativity originally predicted gravitational lensing, improving astronomers’ ability to make use of these rings despite occasional distortions. Previous observations of RX J1131-1231 have revealed such distortions, demonstrating the ongoing appeal and utility of these rings in probing the mysteries of the distant universe.
JWST images of RX J1131-1231 have provided important insights, such as allowing researchers in 2014 to determine the spin rate of the supermassive black hole through analysis of light. These findings underscore how lensing objects continue to unlock the deep secrets of the universe, opening windows into hidden realms of the cosmos, including the elusive nature of dark matter.
